Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr El-Rufai, a political heavyweight and former stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), formalised his move on Thursday when he registered and collected his membership card of the ADC at his Unguwar Sarki ward in Kaduna.
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He was accompanied by political associates and former appointees who served under him as governor of Kaduna State.
The ADC vice chairperson in charge of Northwest, Jafaru Sani, and the National Membership Secretary, Sadiq Yar’adua, were also in his entourage.
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Journey through SDP, ADC
Mr El-Rufai said he chose to join the ADC after the Social Democratic Party (SDP) failed to agree to the terms and conditions of the opposition coalition leadership, alleging the leadership of the SDP had been compromised.
“I’m a bona fide member of the African Democratic Congress,” he boasted after obtaining the membership card.
“The SDP would not agree to open up to the coalition leadership because the government has bribed and compromised some of the leaders. However, the ADC agreed to the terms and conditions of the coalition leadership,” Mr. El-Rufai stated at a brief ceremony at the Unguwar Sarki ward.
He expressed gratitude to the organisers for arranging the event on short notice, saying that, “I was informed at 6 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday) to be here at 4 o’clock, and I managed to get here.”
“I want to call on all citizens of Kaduna State, 18 years and above, to come out en masse and register with the African Democratic Congress.
“By the grace of God, we are going to repeat what we did in 2015, when we got rid of the incompetent, thieving, stealing, and corrupt PDP administration,” he alleged.
Mr. El-Rufai received membership number 000002, following the coalition Vice National Chairman North West, who was assigned 000001 as the first to register in the state.
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El-Rufai’s political journey
He rose to national prominence under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He later actively participated in the formation of the APC in 2013, dubbed a political merger, the platform that unseated the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, in 2015.
Following the controversial rejection of his ministerial nomination by the Senate, his move from the ruling APC to the ADC marks his latest pivot, suggesting a determination to remain a key player in the 2027 political landscape, likely as a kingmaker or challenger.
